


Bernard & Charlie's Alphabet Soup Challenge

by beaches_at_treasure_island



Series: Love Will Outlast Us [4]
Category: Santa Clause (Movies)
Genre: Alphabet Soup Challenge, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3445211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaches_at_treasure_island/pseuds/beaches_at_treasure_island
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bernard/Charlie and drabbles/oneshots/short stories relating them to words of the alphabet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A is for Attachment, Affection

After Charlie had reunited with Bernard, the two had made their way to Charlie’s room in the Workshop. Bernard had wanted to bring Charlie to his home, in the middle of the housing district, but Charlie knew neither he nor Bernard would stay awake long enough to actually get there. Besides, Charlie’s room was closer and the bed was larger.

By the time they entered the bedroom, both were too tired to do more than change into pajamas, a set of which Bernard borrowed from his mate, and go to sleep. Bernard had offered to take the couch at the foot of the bed, but Charlie was having none of it. Gently, he wrapped a hand around Bernard’s wrist and led him to the bed. After they both settled in comfortably, Charlie and Bernard faced each other, and shared gentle kisses and sweet whispers until they drifted off.

..........

During the night, the two boys had inched closer and closer, until Bernard was using Charlie’s chest as a pillow, and Charlie had wrapped his arms around the elf.

They were woken as the Workshop’s winter sun rose in the sky, earlier than either boy wished to be awake, by the door being flung open. Before either of them could fully comprehend what was happening, two elves – Judy and Lillian, Hannah worked in the stables and was likely still asleep, and Jacob was probably starting his baking – leaped onto the bed in joy, shouting and laughing.

“Charlie!” Judy shouted gleefully. “You’re back! It’s been forever!”

“Says the lady with twelve centuries behind her ears. But I suppose I missed you guys, too, though,” Charlie muttered, sitting up. Bernard groaned as he was jostled.

“Finally,” Lillian cheered. “It’s only been four years since you realized you loved him, Charlie!”

The boy blushed as Bernard chuckled. “Alright, alright. Say, what time is it?”

“Uh...” Lillian sputtered. “Um, five thirty?” She ducked behind her fiance... No, Charlie reminded himself, they were married two years ago, the year he joined his father on the annual trip around the world.

“Five thirty? Really?” Charlie groaned. “I didn’t get here until two thirty, and then between finding Bernard, talking to him and coming back here... We probably didn’t fall asleep until at least three thirty.”

The teen collapsed back against the mattress, pulling Bernard with him. “G’way,” he told the two elf ladies. “I’d like to sleep another six to ten hours, thank you very much.”

“Fine, but we’re not leaving. Scoot.” Lillian nudged Charlie and Bernard until the older elf was on the far end of the bed with Charlie hugging him. Behind the teen was Lillian, who was being cuddled by Judy.

“Ugh, why does the world hate me?” Charlie muttered to himself. Bernard smirked up at him.

“If the world hated you, you wouldn’t be my mate. Oh, that sounded a bit shallow... Huh.” Bernard shrugged as best he could, then tilted his head and kissed Charlie. “Go to sleep, sport.”


	2. B is for Busted, Breviloquent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Breviloquent" means "short, to the point", which, as it turns out, this chapter is not. It's more "grandiloquent" which means "pretentious, flowery, or long-winded", aka the opposite of the prompt word. I was looking for a B word that meant summary or recap and eventually found this word but the chapter that I had planned to be 800-1200 words is wholly...not. So enjoy this more than 2500 word long chapter.

Charlie groaned into Bernard’s neck as his door burst open for the second time that morning. The room was nearly black except for the candles lit strategically around the room, dim enough that it did not irritate those attempting to sleep. The sun would not rise for almost three more months in North Pole. Charlie flinched as whoever had entered his room began lighting brighter candles. From the outline, he immediately knew it was his new stepmother. Fuck.

“Charlie, wake up,” Carol called from across the room, her back turned in his direction. Shit. “It’s almost noon, I think. I don’t think I’ll easily become accustomed to this constant darkness.”

“Just wait until you have an entire summer filled with twenty-four hour sunlight,” Bernard mumbled into Charlie’s chest.

Carol swung around to look at the bed. Bernard, Charlie, Judy and Lillian were curled up on the massive mattress, and Carol’s brows drew together as she stared at them. Charlie was the only one who was really awake. Judy and Lillian hadn’t woken at all, and Bernard was already back to sleep.

“Charlie?” Carol asked in a confused whisper.

“Hold on,” Charlie replied softly, beginning to extricate himself from the bed and from his mate. “Let me get free, and we’ll go to the family kitchen. I’ll make cocoa and we can talk.”

After a minute, Charlie had carefully pulled himself from the embrace of his mate and tucked the arch elf back into the warm sheets, pressing a kiss to Bernard’s forehead with a smile. He gestured Carol towards the door and followed her into the hall, quietly closing the door behind him.

“The kitchen’s this way,” Charlie said, leading Carol down the hallway.

He remembered everything about the Pole, the entire Workshop and the elven community encircling it, as though he had never been absent from his home. Carol was pensive as Charlie clattered around the kitchen, preparing cocoa and digging out what looked like a freshly baked cookie platter. A note was settled on top of the tray, written in Jacob’s penmanship, welcoming the teen back to the North Pole.

“So, what do you want to know,” Charlie wondered as he plated up a few cookies and passed Carol a mug of cocoa, made how Judy had taught him so long ago. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. You are family, now,” he added truthfully.

“Who were those...elves...in your room?” Carol queried into her cocoa. “It’s just, the students you hung around with at school, you never were that close with them. Why are they different, the elves?”

“Well the girls, those are mates, Judy and Lillian. They’re both more than a millennium old. They got married two winters ago, but my mother wouldn’t let me come see them. She doesn’t really like me coming up here. Says I’m too old for ‘that sort of thing’. They’re two of my best friends. There are two others, also. Jacob and Hannah. Jacob’s the one who made these cookies,” Charlie informed his stepmother, showing her the note. “Him and Hannah are mates, too. Hannah works in the stables. She’s usually a trainer, for the reindeer, but last night she had to replace one of the stable-hands who was injured in the fight... I’ve missed them all so much. I haven’t been allowed to come to the Pole in...three and half years.”

“Three and a half years? Is that why you were so depressed all this time? Why you skipped classes and got in trouble?” Carol pondered, honestly curious as to the backstory of her new stepson.

“Partially,” Charlie started. “My last trip here was the summer I turned thirteen... Okay, here’s the thing about elves. Well, one of the things. If you help out with their school here, you’re going to have to learn this and much more, but anyway. Elves have sort of like a soulmate, their mate, the one person that is perfect for them. They mate for their whole lifetime, so they’ll wait centuries, even millennia, until their mate comes along. And if their mate doesn’t return their feelings, the elf won’t ever have that love, that connection, ever again. Sometimes, they’ll even die from a broken heart.”

“Die? How dreadful!” Carol exclaimed. “Are you... Are you an elf’s mate?” She whispered soulfully.

“Yes,” Charlie smiled widely. It felt so good to say it aloud; he wished to climb to the highest point of the Workshop and shout it to the entire populace of the North Pole. “My mate is Bernard.”

“Bernard. Bernard?” Carol was introspective for a moment, then her face brightened. “You mentioned that name the first time you were called into my office. You said that the only reason you were even barely passing your classes instead of failing outright is because you promised him you would graduate.” She laughed for a second. “You said you wanted to go into the family business and that you didn’t need school for that. What, you want to be the next Santa Claus?”

Charlie became horrified. “No! Hell no!” He shook his head vehemently. “I’m not going to be the next Santa because there will be no other Santas. Do you even know how my dad became Santa?”

“We didn’t really talk about it.”

“It was eight years ago. I was spending Christmas Eve at Dad’s house, and Christmas Day at Mom and Neal’s. I was sleeping but then I heard a noise on the roof. You know the old Christmas story? The ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas’ one? Well a clatter did arise, and Dad ran outside to see what was going on. He told me to stay put, but I was eight. Like that was going to happen.” Charlie rolled his eyes.

“Well, we were in the front yard. God, Dad was in a t-shirt, boxers and his work boots. It was like twenty two degrees and all. Anyway, there was a man in a red suit on the roof. Dad scared him and he fell and disappeared, leaving the suit and a sleigh full of toys and drawn by reindeer.” Charlie paused, eyes shuttering at the memory of watching the last Santa dying. He hadn’t known it then, but each year since, the possibility that he might awaken Christmas Day without a father left him with nightmares. “So, you see, the only way Santa-hood can be passed down is by pretty much killing the previous one. There is no way that I’m letting that happen.”

“So, what? Scott’s immortal?” Carol marveled. “Does that mean that I’m immortal?”

“If you aren’t yet, you will be after living here for awhile. Santa’s closest family won’t age after being here too long or too often. As his son, I’ll eventually become an elf myself. That’s what I meant by joining the family business. Anyway, I prefer creating artwork, not running the entire Pole. That’s my mate’s job, besides.”

“Mmm, yes, it is,” Bernard muttered sleepily as he padded into the kitchen. He pressed a kiss into Charlie’s temple as he passed him and headed for the cocoa. “I woke up and you were gone,” the elf explained at Charlie’s gaze.

“Sorry,” Charlie told him. “Pri-uh, Mrs... Uhm... What do I call you?” The teen asked his stepmother.

“Why don’t we go with Carol, for now?” She suggested kindly.

“Okay,” Charlie smiled at her before looked back up was his mate, who had ambled back to the teen’s side. Charlie motioned for Bernard to take a seat next to him. “Carol came to wake me. She must have realized that Dad is going to be asleep for a lot longer than ten hours. So she came to my room only to find the four of us in my bed. You were more exhausted than I was last night-this morning. So I let you sleep a bit longer while Carol and I talked.”

“Oh,” Bernard offered tiredly. Charlie knew he needed more sleep. Like his father, Bernard worked sometimes more than twenty hours a day the closer it got to Christmas. Also like Scott, the Arch Elf would sleep for almost two days afterwards to recuperate. Charlie, knowing this, tugged Bernard into a semi-comfortable position on his shoulder. “Sleep a bit more. We’ll talk quietly.”

“If you’re sure,” Bernard said without any real conviction. He was out within seconds.

Charlie looked up to see Carol smirking gently at him. “You’re so cute together,” she told him. Charlie blushed. “No, really. It’s adorable, the way you look at each other. You really haven’t seen each other in more than three years?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, looking back down at Bernard’s curly locks. Impulsively, he ran his fingers through the soft tresses. “Right before I left that last time, he told me that I was his mate, his only. And I’d had a major crush on him since the winter before, so more than six months, and I told him. And then my dad had to take me back to Illinois...” Charlie sighed, continuing to card his fingers through Bernard’s curls. “I was so afraid that I was gone too long. When I saw him alive and well, yesterday, I was almost breathless with relief. I feared that the worst possibility might have occurred.”

“You were afraid he had died of a broken heart,” Carol surmised. “And when you saw he hadn’t, it was like color had been breathed back into your life. Am I right?”

“Yes. It was like all of my paintings, my hopes and dreams, had burst into life in front of me,” Charlie breathed. “It was more than I could have hoped, if I’m being completely honest.”

“How bad did it get, your depression from being away from your...mate?” Carol questioned, hitting the heart of the issue once again.

“Bad. That day, after the first meeting, Dad tried to get Mom and Neal to let me come up here for a week in the summer. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Mom yell at Dad so much, except maybe back when I was little, before they divorced. She stated in not so calm terms that there was no way I was allowed to visit the Pole until I was eighteen, and only then because she would be unable to make my choices for me. Mom wasn’t happy that I consider this place my home, these people my family. She was less than pleased that I want to become an elf and go into the family business instead of ‘being smart and attending college’.” Charlie scoffed. “As if. I’m already bigger than even Bernard, here. And he’s the tallest elf. I knew that this would happen. I told him, when I was thirteen, that I didn’t want to look older or taller than him. But here we are.” He shook his head, careful not to disrupt Bernard’s rest. “And as for post-high school education, I was contemplating online art school, or maybe correspondence courses. Or even only taking Spring or Summer classes. I don’t want to be away any longer than I have to now,” Charlie added, looking down at his mate. He was surprised to find that Bernard was peering up at him with bright, copper eyes.

“You’re avoiding the question, though, Charlie. How bad?” Bernard echoed Carol’s last inquiry.

“That night was the first time I cut myself,” Charlie replied under his breath. If Carol and Bernard hadn’t been sitting so close, they mightn’t have heard him. They held their tongues, not wanting to spook the teen away from confiding in them, though Bernard couldn’t quite keep himself from inhaling sharply. “I continued for a long time. I never really stopped. It’s been a little over a week since the last time,” he confessed, not looking at his stepmother or his mate. “But it was really bad last summer. I was convinced that if I pressed harder and cut deeper, my heart would hurt less. And it did. But I almost died.”

Bernard sat up a bit and embraced his heart. Charlie buried his head in the juncture between Bernard’s neck and shoulder for a moment, steadying himself.

“I was put in a three day suicide watch facility. The only person who believed me when I said I wasn’t trying to kill myself was the psychiatrist. She told my mother that even with my meds, I wouldn’t get better unless I was able to be surrounded by my home and my friends, but my mother refused to accept reality and continued to keep me away. Dad tried everything to get Mom to change her mind... But, I suppose you know the outcome of that, already.

“The people I waste my days with – I won’t really call them friends, except maybe Vaughn – they noted that I was depressed more than usual, and spaced out more even though I stopped smoking pot with them, and they tried to get me to find something else to garner my interests. Vaughn got me into graffiti around the end of October. It was fun, another addition to my artistic repertoire, and a real challenge. I didn’t tag things up with vulgar or profane topics. My pieces were sweet, familial. Hold on,” Charlie shifted, digging his phone out of his pajama pocket. “The pictures are a little grainy, but my portfolio is back at Mom and Neal’s place.”

Carol glanced through them, and although she didn’t recognize the settings or the people specifically, she had the feeling that these were his friends, his family, and at set in the North Pole. She passed the phone back to her stepson, who began displaying the graffiti snapshots to his elven mate. The man was deeply interested in the paintings. He paused at the scene of him and Charlie, hidden behind a large, leather bound tome, reading elven children’s stories from when Bernard was young. His face softened at the love that must have gone into the portraiture. The most recent picture was just as touching.

“This was the one you caught me and Vaughn in front of, Carol,” Charlie recalled, turning it towards her to jog her memory. “I really liked this one. That’s Lillian, on the stool. And the other girl is Judy; she’s teaching me how to make her special cocoa. Judy’s been perfecting the recipe for centuries.” Charlie gazed at Bernard softly. “That was the winter I avoided you. I wish I hadn’t.”

Bernard beamed up at him. “I do, as well, but you’re still here, now. That has to count for something.”

“Yes, it does.” Charlie took a deep breath, not noticing that Carol had left the room. “Bernard, I have waited almost four years to say it and I’m not going to waste any more time not saying it. I love you, and I’ll tell you every day because I will never, ever stop.”

“I love you, too, you big dork,” Bernard chuckled before tilting his head up to press their lips together. “As I told you last night, I will always love you.”


	3. C is for Cherish, Cuddle

Charlie was ticked off, to say the least. It was January the third and his last evening at the North Pole despite his most well-reasoned entreaties to his contrary father. Charlie’s dad had practically kidnapped the teen as neither had obtained his mother’s permission to take the trip up north. Of course, it wasn’t just Charlie’s final evening at the Pole. As the principal of Charlie’s school, Carol, too, had to return to Illinois to finish out the school year. In the morning, Scott would return his son and his new wife back to their alternate residences, reluctant as all three of them were to do so.

Carol had not yet revealed the relationship between Charlie and Bernard to her spouse. While he and Bernard were still in their extended, convalescent slumber, the new stepmother and stepson had continued their chat, Charlie eventually begging Carol to keep quiet about his mateship until they were ready to announce it. After what she had learned from their heart-to-heart, Carol acquiesced.

As it was their last day at the North Pole together, Scott and Carol were nowhere to be found. Similarly, if one looked, Bernard and Charlie were also conspicuously absent, leaving Judy and Curtis in charge for the day. Bernard and Santa were only to be bothered in a true emergency.

So despite Charlie’s well-placed fury, he let himself relax. Unlike when he was young and didn’t realize he was not going to see Bernard for a long time, Charlie decided he would not waste what little time he had with Bernard on trivial things. Charlie was determined to spend every last available second with his mate before he was forced to make the journey back to Illinois come morning.

Charlie and Bernard were out on Charlie’s private balcony, curled up on a large, cushy, outdoor couch. They were wrapped in a thick, warm patchwork quilt and leaning into each other quietly as they sipped at steamy, sweet cocoa.

“I don’t want to leave, again,” Charlie muttered distractedly as he stared out at the rest of the North Pole with unseeing eyes. “My mother is going to be so angry. She called you a pedophile, you know?” The teen added, glancing down at Bernard’s head where it rested on his shoulder. Seeing the elf’s raised brow, Charlie clarified, “It was during that fight between Mom and Dad, the one I told you and Carol about. Like she said, I told them at the meeting that I was only going to school because I promised you that I would. Well, Mom wanted to know what else you might have ‘forced’ me to promise. Dad attempted to defend you; he told her that ‘Bernard’s a good guy. He loves Charlie’,” Charlie mimicked his father’s deep timbre with a smirk. “I didn’t know my mother’s voice could get that high, or that loud. She insinuated that you were a pedophile and Dad, once again, failed at reassuring her by trying to point out our differences in age.” Bernard snorted. “Yeah, I know. I swear, he’s hopeless. I’m surprised he got Carol to marry him, to be honest.” Charlie shook his head in disbelief.

“Your mother is technically right, though,” Bernard asserted suddenly. “I am a pedophile. We have several millennia between us, and you are still a child, if we’re being definitive about it.”

Charlie scoffed. “It’s different. We’re mates. We were practically made for each other. And it’s not like we’ve done anything besides kissing. I love you, and you love me. Who had the right to tell me that loving you is wrong? Because if it’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right ever again.”

Bernard melted at the ferocity in Charlie’s tone, the righteous fire sparking in his tawny eyes. “You’re right, Charlie. I love you so much, it hurts sometimes, but I’d never give it, give you, up. Not for a second.” Charlie smiled tenderly at Bernard’s soft expression.

“I love you, too, B’nard,” Charlie rumbled gently, deftly slanting his head to bump their foreheads together. After a period of time, he commented, “You’ll come visit me when you can, right? Even if it’s only for a day?”

“Every chance I get, sport,” Bernard echoed. “Especially if it’s just a day. And soon enough, you’ll be back here. Before you even notice you’d left,” the elf fudged the truth. They both knew the other would catalogue the minutes until they were together again. Charlie sighed happily and drained the last of his now lukewarm cocoa and deposited the mug on the side table. “Now, why don’t you tell me about that friend of yours from school? Vaughn, was it?”


	4. D is for Dreams, Drawing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I'm on a roll today... Well, this is the last one before I go to bed. More tomorrow probably.

Navy plaid bedcovers were flung back as Charlie woke from his fitful sleep with an aborted shout. The teen hastily swiped away the tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. His dream had been bad, less of a dream than a nightmare. Since his return from the North Pole not even a week ago, these nightmares were a staple of Charlie’s nights. This one was, like the others before it, about Bernard, only it wasn’t a cheerful or love-filled dream with cuddling and laughter. No, each time Charlie tried to reach out for his mate, the elf appeared father and farther away, until Charlie could barely see his love.

Charlie trembled as he pushed himself out of bed. He wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep again before his alarm went off, anyway. It was less than two hours before he had to get ready for another day in hell. He reached for a book Bernard had recommended, but spotted his sketchbook as he leaned over to pick up the novel. Discarding the book, he instead grabbed his sketchpad and returned to the comfort of his warm bed.

Flipping through the pad filled with drawings, Charlie let himself relax as his brain observed the multitude of portraits inside, all showing his chosen family. He smiled softly at one he had feathered into the book after his return. Bernard had been in his elongated rest still, and Charlie’s fingers had itched for a pen and a pad of paper, needing to commit the sight to physical memory. Luckily he’d found some supplies in his desk drawer – his father must have added it in the time since Charlie had discovered his penchant for drawing.

In the piece, Bernard had been spread out on Charlie’s large mattress, arm out as if searching for something, someone. The other arm was curled around a long pillow, clutching it to the elf’s torso. Bernard’s face was slack, and he looked even younger than usual without his usual worries wearing on his features.

The picture seemed to come alive in Charlie’s mind, following the events of that evening. Bernard had woken briefly just as Charlie was almost finished with the sketch, and without being asked, Charlie had shown the piece to his mate. In lieu of words, Bernard had given the teen a gentle kiss before setting the paper aside and pulling Charlie back into bed with him.

Charlie woke back in his bedroom in Illinois not long after, his alarm buzzing in the background.


	5. E is for Endure, Enraged

If Charlie had thought that living with his mother before this past Christmas was difficult and slightly uncomfortable, then it was now painful and unbearably awkward. His mother didn’t know, still, that Bernard and Charlie were now in a relationship that had burgeoned over the short winter break the teen had spent at the Pole. However, she would harp on his about his height – although he was almost as tall as his father, and already taller than Bernard – and his ears. She thought that he was turning into an elf from a vacation to the North Pole that lasted eight days.

Charlie arrived home from school around three, early for him in habit but since seeing Bernard he would always return home as soon as school was out just in case the elf had visited in the boy’s absence. When he walked through the front door, he was greeting with a, “Hey, Charlie. What are you doing home so early? I thought you were hanging out with your friends,” from his mother.

“Oh, hey, Mom. I forgot you had the day off,” Charlie replied. Laura was in the family room, watching the credits from some film roll across the television screen. “I’ve been home around now for the past week. It’s not like I’m really friends with any of them.”

“Charlie, I thought you were getting better. I knew that I was right not sending you to the North Pole. Look at you, you’re regressing,” Laura nagged motherly.

“Mom, that’s not what’s going on here. I’m coming home early because I don’t want to get in trouble with Carol and I want to do more with myself. Look,” Charlie offered, digging into his backpack for the homework that had been returned to him that day. “I got A’s on all my homework, Mom. I want to show Bernard that I’m better than what I was for the past three years, okay?”

“Why for Bernard? Why aren’t you doing it for yourself? I’m happy that you’re doing well in school, but you are always talking about your father’s head elf. Why don’t you get yourself a nice girlfriend? The neighbor’s daughter, Nancy, she’s your age. Nice girl, too,” Laura headed into the kitchen as she spoke. “Hey, how do you feel about baked chicken for dinner, Charlie?”

“It’s fine,” Charlie said through gritted teeth. Then, after a few seconds, “You know what, no. It’s not fine. The way you treat me, I mean. So what if I’m doing it for Bernard. You say you mean well, nagging me and insulting my friends, but you don’t really get it. You’re my mother, and I love you, but for the love of Christmas! Honestly! I’m gay, Mom, and I’m in love with Bernard. And you can’t do or say anything to change that, alright? So you can either accept it, accept me, or I can run away and move in with Dad and Carol, because I can’t stand being away from the Pole or my mate but I’m here because you’re my family, too, and so I chose to come back. I could have hid away in the North Pole, could have stayed there with Bernard and Dad and all my friends, but I thought about you, about Lucy, hell even Neal. I chose to temporarily leave the other half of my soul so that I could please you. But you’re never happy when it comes to me. Whatever. It’s a Friday – I’m calling Dad down. He’s probably coming to see Carol anyways. I’ll be back in time for school Monday.”

Before Laura could shake off her surprise well enough to say something, either about Charlie’s revelations or his weekend plans, the teen had stomped off up the stairs to borrow his old snowglobe from Lucy’s room. He shook it and wrote Lucy a note letting her know where he was this weekend. Charlie loved his baby sister and didn’t want to worry her. He then headed to his room to pack. By the time Scott arrived, Charlie would be sitting on the back porch with a backpack full of school supplies and a duffle bag of clothes, ready to go see his mate.


	6. F is for Family, Frank(ness)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this yesterday but I forgot. Sorry about the ending. I was having trouble writing the scene, so I cut it off. Chapter G will gloss over the rest of the chat but not be a dialogue or anything I don't think.
> 
> Also, let me know if there are any other misspellings of Santa. I caught two Satans and a Satna already hahaha

Weekends at the beginning of the new year were always laid back and filled with fun and laughter at the North Pole. Charlie loved the Pole in this time, the gentle camaraderie shared amongst the elves, the large gatherings of friends around fireplaces, sipping sweet cocoa and munching on sugary cookies.

The boy had had little problem with convincing his father to take him for the weekend when the man came to collect him from his mother’s house. While his mom frantically called the police to report Scott’s ‘kidnapping’ of his son, Scott told her that maybe Charlie wouldn’t want to get away from her if she was less restrictive in her parenting.

“Better than letting my son shack up with an elf,” Laura had shouted in reply to the retreating sleigh.

Luckily, Scott had soon been too distracted by Carol to bother asking his son what his ex-wife had meant. Friday evening was spent separately, with Charlie and Bernard eating a small meal in Bernard’s home amongst the elven village, and Scott and Carol sharing their time over a nice, quiet dinner in their rooms.

Saturday, Scott had gone looking for Charlie early in the morning. He first checked the teen’s room, not really anticipating he would be there, before heading out to find Judy, expecting his son to follow old habits and be in the communal kitchens with her and Jacob, brewing cocoa and baking cookies. When he had tromped into the kitchen, however, Charlie was nowhere to be seen. Scott had inquired with his son’s friends as to the teen’s whereabouts but they hadn’t seen Charlie that morning, either.

What Scott didn’t know is that Judy had an idea as to where exactly Charlie was: Bernard’s arms. She hurried out of the kitchens, telling Jacob to ‘keep things running’ while she was gone, and ran to get her wife, Lillian, to find and inform the two lovebirds that Santa was searching for his son.

Fortunately, Lillian first visited Bernard’s home, catching both Bernard and Charlie as they were leaving the cozy residence.

“Bernard! Charlie!” she called to them, rushing over as fast as she could. “Wait! Santa’s looking for you! You, Charlie, not you, Bernard,” Lillian elucidated before they could ask who she meant. “He went looking for you when he woke up, but when you weren’t in your rooms or the kitchen, he started searching all of the main Workshop. Judy sent me,” she added.

Charlie froze and Bernard got this look on his face that spelled out ‘OH NO’ in big, bright, flashing letters.

“Snowballs,” Charlie muttered. “He’s probably freaking out because of what Mom shouted at us as we left, yesterday afternoon.” Charlie shook his head, then he remembered his manners. “Thanks, Lil,” he told her kindly. “And thank Judy for me, in case I don’t make it out alive at the end of all this?”

“Of course,” Lillian giggled, failing to realize how serious the situation was for the teen. She left after she composed herself, waving cheerily over her shoulder at the two boys as if in complete contradistinction to their own moods.

“Nutcracker,” Charlie muttered again. “I’m dead. I’m so dead. Dad’s gonna kill me and the next time anyone will see me is in my coffin, at my funeral,” Charlie hissed in a panic.

“Charlie, what did your mother say yesterday?” Bernard asked in a too calm tone of voice, the one he used often during the holiday season when shit was going down but he had to stay strong for the elves he was in charge of.

“Dad told her I wouldn’t want to get away so badly if she wasn’t so confining when it came to letting me do things. She shouted at us in retaliation as Dad flew away with me, saying that at least she didn’t let me ‘shack up with an elf’... Bernard, I have to tell him...” Charlie trailed off as Bernard squawked at him.

“Charlie! _I’ll_ be the one who’ll need a funeral service at that point! If there’s even anything left of me!” Bernard covered his face with his hands, taking deep breaths as he forced himself to calm down.

“What else can I do!? Bernard,” Charlie pleaded, “we can’t just hide this! He’s my dad, and your boss, and maybe one day, your father-in-law.” Bernard squeaked at that, eyes wide with fear. “I love you Bernard, but he needs to know. I already yelled it at my mother yesterday when I got home from school, so it’s merely a matter of time. Please, B’nard?”

“Do I have to be there when you tell him? I’d prefer to be surprised when I’m murdered,” Bernard remarked drily, still blanching in dread of Santa’s imminent rage.

“I’d like you with me, but if you really don’t want to... I suppose I could go it alone,” Charlie uttered miserably.

“No, if you want me there, I’ll be there,” Bernard reassured his mate. “I just hope you don’t have to watch your father smother me with my beret.”

Charlie laughed nervously. “No, no, not his style. He’d just wait ‘til you’re on a roof then fix it so you’d fall off. Why stop at knocking off just one person that way, am I right?”

“Wait, you saw your dad...do away with the other Santa?” Bernard asked, temporarily forgetting about Scott’s likely conniption when he found out about Charlie and Bernard’s relationship.

“Yeah, I was eight. Dad told me to stay inside when we heard the noises on our roof, but I didn’t listen and followed him outside. The other Santa was on the roof and Dad shouted something at him. He turned too fast, slipped on a patch of ice and fell off the roof into the flower boxes on the side of the house,” Charlie explained. “Which is totally how he’d try to knock you off, so stay the Yule away from rooftops, okay?” At the thought, Bernard shuddered and Charlie hugged him to bring comfort to both the elf and himself. “Well, time to face the jingle bells.” Charlie pulled Bernard with him towards the Workshop.

Bernard snorted. “Your bad Christmas puns are going to kill me before your father does, I think.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking them up for eight years, now. I thought it was funny when I was little to use Christmas terms to get away with cursing, since Dad’s Santa and all, and it sort of became a habit unless I’m really pissed off. Vaughn thinks it’s hilarious,” the teen tacked on as he and Bernard went up the stairs into the main workroom of the Workshop.

To call the mess that was the Workshop ‘chaos’ would be a colossal understatement. Scott was hassling various elves into finding Charlie. Tinsel, ribbon and wrapping paper were hectically tossed all over, and one of the elf children, not even a century old, was sitting on the floor and bawling her eyes out. Charlie immediately picked her up.

“Shhh, Amity, darling,” he consoled her. He remembered when Hannah had introduced him to her brother, Holland, and his husband, Garth, as well as Amity, their daughter. Amity was a sweet elfling, and seeing her in tears pained Santa’s only child. Caring for her reminded Charlie of when Lucy was a baby and he welcomed the remembrance.

“Dad?” Charlie called across the raucous scene. “What’s going on? And at this time of morning, too? You’re going to wake Carol,” Charlie said as though he didn’t already know why his father was being a total lunatic.

“Charlie?” Scott sought out his son, head popping up over a wall of empty rolls of ribbon. “Charlie!” He practically sprinted across the large room. Upon seeing the usually jolly man, Amity burst into tears once again. Scott screeched to a sudden halt, shocked at the elfling’s violent response. “Uh...”

“Dad! You’re scaring the snowballs out of everyone! Look at Amity, here. She’s terrified to death of you!” Charlie took his attention away from his father in favor of attempting to calm his friend’s niece. Amity was still too close to Santa for comfort, though, so Charlie enlisted Bernard’s help. “Bernard, can you take Amity to one of her dads? I need to talk to my father.”

“I thought we, uh, were going to do that together,” Bernard hissed lowly as he collected Amity from Charlie’s arms.

“No, no. You we’re right. I’ve got it,” Charlie replied in kind before returning to a normal voice. “Yeah, I don’t know where Garth and Holland are, but last night Hanna said she’d be doing more Chet training this morning.” Bernard nodded supportively at his mate and headed for the stable to see if Hannah knew where her brother and his husband were.

“Dad, let’s go to the family kitchen. This’ll go better over some fresh hot cocoa.” Without another word to the man, Charlie led his father towards their private quarters, the teen apologizing to various frazzled elves that they passed along the way.

Like the last few times that Charlie had chatted with family in their kitchen, he prepared the cocoa by Judy’s recipe and set out snacks before sitting down, just across the kitchen island from Scott.

“Wow, sport. This looks like a bad one,” Scott observed, gesturing to the spread of food between them. “Mind telling your old man what’s on your mind?”

“Well... Do you remember how I was, before? When Mom and Neal began the whole North Pole ban?”

Charlie’s dad nodded. “That’s when you started becoming depressed. Neal and Laura kept sending me letters and shaking that old snowglobe to get me to come down to visit you. They thought you missed me.”

“I did, Dad. But that was only part of it. It’s like that psychiatrist told all of you – the North Pole is my home. My friends are here, my family is here... This is where I was meant to be. And what I need to tell you has to do with that...” Charlie paused, unsure of how to word what he wanted to say, before he decided to just say it. “I’m one of the elves’ mate. It’s... I’m Bernard’s mate.”


	7. G is for Grounded, Glum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god! I'm so sorry it's been three months since my last update! I just haven't been feeling like writing all that much, which means my goal of 'finish this 26 chaptered fic by Christmas' probably won't happen. However, as a treat to you all, this chapter is over 1600 words, so please enjoy! :)

All in all, Charlie supposed his father had reacted in a completely benevolent manner. Scott had been calm but serious as he asked his son if Charlie was sure, and if Charlie felt the same way about Bernard. After mentally assessing how he felt about Charlie’s announcement, Scott had told his son that he shouldn’t be surprised, since he had seen that oil painting Charlie had done of Bernard two years ago.

So the worst reprimand Scott gave his son was a stern talking-to about not leaving a note as to where he would be in case his father or Carol wanted to see him, and another one for sleeping at his boyfriend’s house without permission. However, Scott remembered both his elf crash course and how his son was during his time away from the North Pole, from Bernard, and therefore did not limit Charlie from seeing Bernard for the rest of the weekend. He even extended an invitation for his arch elf to join the Calvin/Claus family for dinner that night.

That had been an extremely tense meal, and before Bernard and Charlie could sneak away, Scott took the elf aside. When Bernard was returned to Charlie, physically sound but pale and trembling, Santa bid his son good night and told him to take Bernard home. Scott reminded Charlie that they would be leaving after lunch the next day, so he should get to sleep early. Carol had hugged both boys before sending them out that night.

Charlie and Bernard had shared a quiet evening together, again. Bernard murmured stories of his elfling days softly as he and his mate curled up in front of the fireplace.

The morning came quicker than anyone desired, but Charlie and Carol were reluctantly ready to return to Illinois by the time lunch was over. They waited in the stables, their bags and their significant others by their sides as the sleigh and the reindeer were brought out to them. Carol and Scott loaded the luggage into the sleigh, turning away to give Charlie and Bernard a private moment together.

The morning had been tense as Charlie and Bernard prepared to part ways, Charlie knowing that whatever punishment his mother had in store would not be good, and might even further restrict him from his home and the rest his family. Bernard had hugged Charlie tightly for many minutes before they had had to traipse down to the stables, as if imprinting himself on his mate.

Hands clasped together in a death grip, Bernard and Charlie shuffled forward, each step almost painful. Suddenly, Charlie stopped and turned to Bernard, pressing their foreheads together.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be in trouble, but if for some reason I’m gone longer than a month, have Dad drop you off at the beginning of a weekend when he comes to get Carol. I don’t think I could bear not seeing you that long. A week is already an eternity when you’re not there,” the teen whispered miserably.

“I feel the same. Heck, I may have him drop me off next weekend if you can’t come up.” Bernard breathed in Charlie’s scent. “I’m missing you already.”

“I love you, Bernard. I hope I see you soon,” Charlie sighed, eyes clenched. Swiftly, chastely, Bernard dropped a kiss onto his mate’s lips.

“You will. Now, let’s not keep Santa waiting.”

“Yeah, okay.” Charlie pulled back to grasp Bernard’s hand once more and they finished walking over to Scott and Carol as the adults finished stowing the baggage.

“Ready to go, champ?” Scott asked his son.

“If I must...” Charlie muttered. “I am really not looking forward to facing Mom, to tell the truth.”

“Neither am I, kid. Neither am I.”

..........

As it turned out, Scott had used Carol as an excuse to drop Charlie and run from the coming confrontation. “Thanks a lot, Dad!” Charlie had shouted sarcastically to the man’s retreating sleigh, his mom and Neal standing on the back porch, watching.

“I’ll come back later!” Scott replied over his shoulder.

Heaving a sigh, Charlie turned, steeling himself to face the lecture he was certain to receive.

“Come on, Charlie,” Neal said after a moment. “Let’s go inside. Your mother and I want to talk with you for a bit.”

Biting his lower lip, Charlie followed them into the house, dropping his bags at the foot of the stairs to take up later. Before mimicking them and taking a seat on the couch opposite theirs, Charlie went into the kitchen, and – as was becoming habit for the teen – began making Judy’s special cocoa. After a few minutes, he carried three mugs into the living room, mostly prepare for the imminent talk.

As Charlie passed a mug each to Neal and his mom, Laura began speaking. “Charlie, I know you think we’ve been unsupportive recently. That I’ve been unsupportive. But I’m ready to listen now. If you want to say anything, anything at all, I’m here.”

“I...” Charlie took a breath. “Yeah, I do. I meant a lot of what I told you on Friday. You remember that winter, four years ago, that I spent at the Pole? That was the winter I realized I had a crush on Bernard, and the next summer I found out I was his mate.

“See, elves mate for a lifetime. They will wait for their perfect match, their other half, and there’s nobody else suited for them. And if for some reason, one rejects the other, they could die of a broken heart at worst. Best case, they never find love, ever. Our souls had already started binding; I knew what was going on and I accepted that Bernard and I were mates, so the process began. The longer and farther we were separated, the worse I became.

“Bernard is strong, but I was young and my mind and body couldn’t handle the distance. That’s why I became depressed, why I started cutting... Why I haven’t stopped... It’s why I got in trouble and my grades tanked and I hung around the burnouts. Because if there was something that made me feel the slightest bit less hurt, then it was worth it.

“I’m sorry if you can’t accept it, accept me and Bernard, because of the age difference, or because we’re gay, but we were pretty much made for each other and I don’t think I could live without him.”

Neal and Laura were quiet for a few moments before Neal began to talk, being the more level headed of the two. “Are you certain, Charlie? Not that you’re gay; I believe you. You would know better than I or your mother in that regard, but are you certain that you and Bernard are...mates?”

“As certain as I know I love him. He’s waited for over five thousand years to find me. There’s nobody else for him, and for me either. I tried. But...He’s it for me.” Charlie blinked away tears that began welling in his eyes.

“Okay,” Laura said, “but how do you know he isn’t lying? I’m not trying to start a fight. I just want to know that he’s being honest.”

“The first vacation I spent up north, Judy got me enrolled in the elfling classes, the ones that all the really young elves take,” Charlie shook his head, chuckling. “Young being relative, of course. Most of them are about a hundred and fifty or two hundred years older than me. But anyway, the classes teach us about the history of the North Pole, Santa, the Workshop, and elves. Especially elven culture and society.

“The last summer I was up there, I learned about mates. For elves, having a mate is a serious thing. Lying about it can get you kicked out of the Pole, exiled and banished to live alone, or among humans, and the process strips their magic. They are doomed to live a human lifespan, disconnected from their own people. It’s practically the only thing you’ll see an elf get serious over; well that, and tinsel football. So, trust me, Bernard wouldn’t lie. Plus, you didn’t see him when I went up after Dad’s annual delivery. That couldn’t be faked, especially by Bernard.”

Laura nodded thoughtfully at her son. “I’m sorry I’ve been so tough on you and letting you visit your Dad, but truthfully, that Curtis scared me. He warned me that you could become an elf if you spent too much time up north.”

“I plan on it, Mom.” Charlie held a hand up at her expression. “I know you want me to go to college and become an important business man, or lawyer or doctor, but that’s not me. I do plan on college, or art school at least, and probably through correspondence courses and maybe in class during the slow season, but I want to stay with Bernard and Dad at the Pole. I want to work with the elves in the Art Department and create toys that bring happiness to kids. I told you a few years ago, I plan on going into the family business, but I don’t plan on wasting my talents, either.”

“There’s nothing I say that will change your mind, Charlie, is there?” His mother asked sadly.

“No, Mom. I really mean it. Gosh, you should see it up there; the Pole is beautiful, and there’s just so much...I don’t know, magic in the air. It’s just amazing sitting on my balcony and staring out across the Village. Maybe you, Neal and Lucy could visit one day. It’s indescribable.” Charlie was miles away, his eyes staring unseeingly out across the North Pole with wonder.

Neal cleared his throat and elbowed Laura. “Oh, oh right. Now Charlie,” she said, recapturing the teen’s attention, “I do have to punish you for leaving without permission, and for yelling at me. You understand?”

“Yeah,” Charlie nodded glumly. “I already told Bernard I probably wouldn’t be up for a few weeks.”

“Good. You’re grounded, kid, for the next two weekends.”

 


	8. H is for Hello, Haggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So here's another chapter, this one coming in at just over 1400 words. Guess my brain decided to make up for the lack of prior inspiration. I also have about 200 words for the next chapter written. If all goes well, I might have it up by this time tomorrow. :)

Charlie was only about a third of the way through his punishment. Weekend #1 was starting, the day being a Friday afternoon. Three weeks, two weekends that Charlie had to endure without Bernard. It hadn’t even been an entire week since they had parted in the stables up at the North Pole, yet it was an eternity of longing for the teen.

Charlie stomped home from school, not looking forward to the weekend, which was going to be Bernard-free. He had hung out with Vaughn for a couple hours, which his mom was okay with because it was ‘socializing’, but he wasn’t allowed to visit the Pole, which was his real punishment. He stopped by Lucy’s after-school care on the way home so that he could bring her home for his mom. Since Christmas, Lucy was enamored of the Pole. She constantly begged for new stories and Charlie obliged her happily.

One the way home, he described the kitchens for her, and told her about some of his more disastrous attempts to help out there. He told her about Judy and her cocoa and Jacob and his cookies that were unmatched in deliciousness. Charlie was so absorbing in accurately telling his little sister about Santa’s Workshop that he didn’t notice someone sitting on their front porch until Lucy pointed them out.

“Hey, who’s that on our porch?” Lucy asked, nose scrunched up as she stared at the person.

Charlie looked up, face drawn, but broke out into a grin, dropping Lucy’s hand and sprinting across the lawn to tackle the curly-haired elf standing in front of their house. “Bernard!” Charlie shouted joyfully. “You came!” Without thinking, Charlie kissed his mate.

A few seconds later, Lucy came running up. “Hey, Charlie... What are... Ewwww....” This time her nose was scrunched in disgust. “Kissing is gross. You’re gonna get cooties, Charlie.”

Laughing, Charlie stood and helped Bernard do the same. “Sorry, Lu. Lucy, this is Bernard. My...boyfriend. Bernard, this is my little sister, Lucy.”

“I’m not that little, Charlie. Soon I’ll be seven. Then I’ll be bigger.” Lucy stated matter of factly. “Hi, Bernard. Hey, Charlie, I didn’t know you had a boyfriend....” She gasped. “Do Mom and Dad know you have a boyfriend? You’re gonna be in troooouble.”

Charlie snickered. “Yes, Lucy. Mom and Neal know.” Charlie inched past Bernard and unlocked the door, handing his sister her backpack.

“Oh, is that what your fights were over? Are they mad?”

“No, Lu. They didn’t understand, but now they do. Hey, do you want meatloaf or hotdogs for dinner?”

“Can we have grilled cheese and tomato soup, Charlie. It’s really cold today.” Lucy began taking off her winter wear and depositing it in a pile beside the shoe rack.

“I’ll see what I can do, Lu.” He ruffled her hair and glanced at Bernard, who was watching the siblings interact with a soft smile. “Why don’t you start your homework and I’ll let you know when it’s ready, okay?”

“Okay. But don’t burn down the kitchen again, okay, Charlie? Mom won’t be happy.”

“It was one time and you weren’t even there, Lu. You can’t hold my stories against me!”

“I’m your sister. I’m supposed to do this stuff. That’s what Katie told me.” Lucy turned and ran up the stairs without waiting for Charlie to reply.

“Kids,” Charlie laughed, rolling his eyes as he turned to Bernard. “Sorry. I have to feed her, but we can talk as I cook. Do you want some?”

“Sure. What did she mean about burning the kitchen down, though?”

“I was telling her about the time I nearly burned down the communal Workshop kitchen when I was eleven.” Charlie pulled out a can of tomato soup, some bread, cheese and butter.

“Oh... I remember that. Jacob was so terrified he actually raised his voice.”

“Yeah, I think he was more scared than I was.” The stove was turned on and the soup dumped into a pot as butter slowly melted in a pan. Charlie began preparing the bread by slipping the cheese between two slices and buttering the outsides.

“I think I was scared the worst, though. I’d already known, then...”

“I’m sorry...” Charlie set down the uncooked sandwiches and hugged Bernard, resting his chin on the elf’s shoulder.

“I should have told you as soon as I was certain you were my mate.”

“I probably wouldn’t have understood what you meant then. I had only realized I liked you seven or eight months before you told me, and had just learned about mates that week.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Besides, we’re together now.” Bernard pulled away. “You should put the sandwich in the pan before the butter burns,” he cautioned. “It’s about to. I can smell it.”

“Snowballs,” Charlie muttered, and Bernard cracked a grin. He swiftly put two sandwiches into the pan, lowering the heat so it would cook slower and more evenly, and left four more for the next two batches before stirring the soup. “Thanks for that. Lucy won’t eat it unless it’s perfect.”

With a smile, Charlie tugged Bernard closer, leaning back against the counter across from the stove. “I missed you,” he told the elf. “I’m so happy you came to visit.”

“Me, too. But guess what, I can stay the weekend,” Bernard whispered, leaning forward expectantly. Charlie grinned and acquiesced to his mate’s silent request. The artist kissed the elf, gently at first but with building passion as they stood there in the kitchen. Charlie hadn’t been paying attention to anyone but his mate, so it was a surprise when he heard his mom shouting.

Charlie and Bernard pulled apart to see Charlie’s mom staring at them from the entrance to the kitchen.

“Uh, hey, Mom. This is Bernard. Bernard, this is my mother, Laura Miller,” Charlie introduced, forgetting that the duo had met before, during the year that his Dad had been adjusting to becoming Santa.

“Um, hello, Mrs. Miller,” Bernard said nervously. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Wait, you’re the elf that was there the night we thought Scott had kidnapped Charlie.”

“Well, actually, it was partially my fault. The kidnapping, I mean. Charlie was begging Santa to let him come to the North Pole and they both just turned to me and game that look, you know the one, and I said I didn’t see a problem with it. And that was that. Sorry to have caused so much worry that Christmas.”

“But you haven’t aged a day...” Laura said in confusion.

“Oh, no. We look about a year older for every one hundred to three hundred years we live, depending on our ancestry. I’m rather old compared to most elves, though Curtis is about fifteen hundred years younger than me.”

There was a momentary awkward pause as Bernard and Laura didn't know what to say. Charlie cursed and turned to flip the partially cooked sandwiches, temporarily breaking the tension. After another few minutes, Lucy and Laura’s sandwiches were done and Charlie put his and Bernard's on to cook before calling Lucy down. Lucy took hers into the dining room where she could watch the TV from her seat, while Laura sat at the island countertop.

“Hey, mom?” Charlie asked hesitantly. “I know I’m grounded but can Bernard stay the weekend? Please?”

“I don’t know, Charlie... I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you having your boyfriend over for nights.”

“But, Mom, we spend nights together at the North Pole,” Charlie stated, flipping his and Bernard’s sandwiches. His mom's eyebrows rose to her hairlines.

“First of all, I did not need to know that. Second,” she added, turning to Bernard, “he is sixteen and you should not be ‘sharing a bed’ yet.”

Both Charlie and Bernard hurried to fix her assumptions. “No, no, we’re not ready for that yet. But because of how little we see each other, it helps our bond when we curl up with each other,” Bernard defended.

“Yeah, mom. All we do is cuddle,” Charlie added. “We have all the time for that in the future, but usually we just share a bed for comfort.” He was bright red, uncomfortable with discussing his non-existent sex life with his mother.

“Fine, but your door will be open when Bernard is in your room, understand?”

“Yes, Mom. Thank you, Mom! You’re the best!” Charlie quickly plated the two sandwiches and ladled out two bowls of soup before tugging Bernard out to the back patio, beating a hasty retreat.


End file.
